Oil Beetle Survey

There are five species of oil beetles in the UK, the Black oil beetle (Meloe proscarabaeus), the Violet oil beetle (Meloe violaceus), the Short-necked oil beetle (Meloe brevicollis), the Rugged oil beetle (Meloe rugosus) and the Mediterranean oil beetle (Meloe mediterraneus). The first three can be found in the spring and we need your help to monitor their distribution to aid our conservation work.

Oil beetles are conspicuous, charismatic insects which are often encountered when out walking and enjoying the countryside. Their habit of seeking out bare compacted earth in which to dig nest burrows means that they are frequently seen on footpaths. The best time of year to look for oil beetles is March to June.

Please keep a look out for these beetles when walking in meadows, grasslands and open woodlands and let us know if you find them by submitting your sighting records and uploading your photos. Your records can make a real difference to our oil beetle conservation work.

Explore the map and click on the circles to find out more about the survey submission.

Date:

Want to take part?

Submit your findings here – one of our experts will review your images and if they confirm that this is a legitimate sighting, then we’ll publish your finding on the map above.

Title*

First Name*

Last Name*

Organisation Name (leave blank for anonymous)

Date of Survey*

Date Format: DD slash MM slash YYYY

Coordinates

Pin point your location (by searching and dragging pointer on the map)*

Map

Name of City/Town/Village*

Image Upload

Drop files here or

Number of Black oil beetles (Meloe proscarabaeus)*

Number of Mediterranean oil beetles (Meloe mediterranaeus)*

Number of Rugged oil beetles (Meloe rugosus)*

Number of Short-necked oil beetles (Meloe brevicollis)*

Number of Violet oil beetles (Meloe violaceus)*

Number of unknown oil beetles*

Other Comments

Phone

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or

If you need help to identify the oil beetles you find, you can download the Welsh oil beetle identification guide. As well as taking part in our oil beetle hunt please explore our webpages for more information on oil beetle conservation.

Top tips for oil beetle hunting

How to look

You can either go out especially to look for oil beetles or you can keep your eyes peeled for oil beetles on all of your countryside walks and travels. Oil beetles are large, shiny, black and slow moving so they can be easy to spot.

Where to look

Good places to look include bare ground near footpaths (as this is where they dig nest burrows), wildflower-rich grasslands, woodland edges and heathland.

Oil beetle are fascinating. Did you know that they depend on bees for their life cycle? As strange as it sounds looking for bees could lead you to an oil beetle. Look for wildflower areas or sandy soils where solitary bees may nest – these are hotspots for oil beetles.

When to look

The best time of year to look out for oil beetles in March to June. Most insects are more active on warm sunny days so bear this in mind before you head out on the hunt for oil beetles.

Getting close to an oil beetle

Buglife asks you not to disturb oil beetles. Although they are gentle creatures they can extrude a foul oil based liquid from their knee joints that may cause irritation. Remember oil beetles are under threat so if you do take a closer look be gentle and put the beetle back where you found it.

Taking photos of oil beetles

We would like to use your photos to identify the species of oil beetle that you have found. Here are some tips for taking photos of oil beetles:

please try and take pictures as close as you can get to the beetle (use the macro setting on your camera if you have it), and make sure the beetle is in focus!

one of the best identification features of oil beetles can be found at the base of the thorax (the middle bit of the beetle’s body) – please try and focus on this part of the beetle from the top down.

taking a beetle photo in shade rather than direct sunlight can help us to see the different parts of the beetle clearly.

Help us to stop the extinction of invertebrate species

Become a member

Donate to support us

Our work would not be possible without your support. Bees and other invertebrates need help to reverse the catastrophic declines in their numbers. Please donate today and together we can restore vital habitats and rebuild strong populations of invertebrates in the UK.

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